Bruce Springsteen has so much time on his hands– five shows a week on Broadway. But still he found the time to record the closing song to Jason Hall’s movie “Thank You for Your Service,” which opens Friday.
The movie is excellent, by the way, and so is the song. The film stars Miles Teller and Beaulah Kole as two vets who are having trouble adjusting to life after tours of Iraq. Haley Bennett is Teller’s wife, and comedian Amy Schumer makes a terrific dramatic debut as the widow of another vet.
Hall adapted the screenplay for Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper.” And while the basic story is not new per se, Hall and his cast invest so much of themselves into that you really care for these characters. Teller does his best work. And Kole is a revelation.
Producer Jon Kilik asked Bruce Springsteen last year if he could contribute a song to the film. Then last Christmas Day, Springsteen emailed him “Freedom Cadence” as a surprise gift. It’s an adaptation of an traditional army chant, and of course, it’s spectacular. Ron Aniello co produced “Freedom Cadence,” and in the final mix Kilik got to add background vocals. At my press screening we didn’t know this in advance– but everyone sat until the song was over, it’s that good.
Springsteen will in all likelihood still be on Broadway on Sunday, March 3rd, but it’s still possible producers Mike deLuca and Jennifer Todd will ask him to perform “Freedom Cadence” on the show. Unfortunately, it’s not eligible for Best Song as the material already existed. But Bruce will probably get a Golden Globe and Critics Choice nod for the song, so maybe he’ll turn up there.
Just as he did with “Philadelphia” years ago, Bruce really captures the tone of “Thank You for Your Service” with “Freedom Cadence.” It’s too bad it’s not eligible for the Oscar because it really sums up the gravity and beauty of Hall’s message. Please see this movie, and wait for this great bit of dessert at the end.
